With the intention of exploring means to apply their ongoing PhD dissertations to issues on the ground, DLGS-2021 fellows attended the Leibniz-Falling Walls workshop on “how to turn your PhD into a startup”. The workshop was organised by Leibniz Gemeinschaft and Falling Walls and was held in the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Science (ISAS), Dortmund on the 11th and 12th of May, 2022.
"How much startup is in your PhD?"- Young Entrepreneurs in Science
The two-day workshop began with introducing what it means to be an entrepreneur in science: "sciencepreneur", emphasising developing a growth mindset, followed by exploring our entrepreneurial strengths. The day's highlight was a meet-and-greet round with two experienced role models from the Leibniz universe: Dr Sim Chiha (co-founder PROSION) and Dr.-Ing Marc Schöneinch (co-founder INNOCISE), where they shared experiences of starting their own start-ups. The day ended with an overview of the counselling services provided by the Leibniz Association for budding founders. The second day focused on Design Thinking principles which were then applied by the participants to design and develop a mock prototype of a product for a startup, in smaller groups. The workshop ended with a round of feedback on each prototype presentation.
